The invention relates to a pipe treatment assembly, and more particularly to an apparatus for removing burs and other protrusions from an interior wall of pipes and of similar tubular members.
Conventionally, pipes manufactured by steel mills are formed by heating a solid block of metal, for example steel, and then pushing a circular rod through the block of metal to form a cylindrical opening. This process often results in the interior of the pipes being formed with imperfections, small burs and other protrusions that extend from the inside wall of the pipe. As a result, the interior surface of the pipe is not perfectly smooth when the pipe leaves a steel mill.
When the pipes are used in the oil or gas production, it is a highly desirable feature to have the interior surfaces that are perfectly smooth to prevent corrosion of metal in the high acid environment of drilling and production operations, as well as allow the flow of fluids at a steady rate. When the interior surface of the pipe is not perfectly smooth, the resulting friction slows the flow of fluid, requires more power to pump the fluid and builds up pressure inside the pipe.
One of the solutions utilized in the oil field is to cover the interior wall of the pipe with a friction-resistant coating, for example epoxy, in an effort to create a uniformly smooth surface. However, if the inside surface has many protrusions, or irregularities the surface coating will have a part of the surface with a thicker coat than others. Even further, if the protrusion is large enough, it may end up not being coated with the protective layer at all, and will expose that portion of the pipe to the adverse conditions of a well bore environment.
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of an apparatus for removing burs from interior of tubular members, such as pipes, in order to form a protrusion free, smooth surface.